| Indian Golden Oriole | |
|---|---|
 Male | |
| Information | |
| Range | Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Oriolidae |
| Genus | Oriolus |
| Species | Oriolus kundoo |
| Conservation Status | |
 Least Concern | |
The Indian golden oriole (Oriolus kundoo), is a species of Old World oriole found in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. The species was once considered to be a subspecies of the Eurasian golden oriole, but has been elevated to a full species on the basis of differences in morphology, plumage, calls and the fact that the two do not intergrade. Adults can be told apart from the Eurasian golden oriole by the black of the eye stripe extending behind the eye. The Indian golden oriole is a partial migrant. It breeds in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Nepal, as well as much of India. The Indian populations are largely resident while other populations are migratory.
Description[]
Very similar to the Eurasian golden oriole but has more yellow in the tail and has a paler shade of red in the iris and bill. The male has the black eye stripe extending behind the eye, a large carpal patch on the wing and wide yellow tips to the secondaries and tertiaries. The streaks on the underside of females is more sharp than in the females of the Eurasian golden oriole. The European species is larger with a wing length of 149-162 in adult males compared to 136-144 in Oriolus kundoo. The wing formula is also different with primary 2 longer than 5 in Oriolus oriolus while primary 5 is longer than 2 in Oriolus kundoo. A population named baltistanicus was considered by Charles Vaurie to be indistinguishable from kundoo while turkestanica appeared to be based on a specimen of a typical Oriolus oriolus.
Distribution and Habitat[]
This oriole breeds from Baluchistan and Afghanistan along the Himalayas to Nepal. Some populations breed in the peninsular region but are very local. The northern populations winter in southern India, with some birds wintering in Sri Lanka. The populations that occur in the Maldives and the Andaman Islands have not been carefully examined.
The Indian golden oriole inhabits a range of habitats including open deciduous forests, semi-evergreen forests, woodland, forest edge, mangroves, open country with scattered trees, parks, gardens orchards and plantations.
Behavior and Ecology[]
Orioles feed on fruits, nectar and insects. They are capable of dispersing the seeds of many berry-bearing plants including the invasive Lantana camara. An oriole has been recorded preying on Draco dussumieri. Their flight is dipping but strong and has been recorded to reach about 40 km/h. They sometimes bathe by repeatedly flying into a small pool of water. An individual ringed in Gujarat was recovered in Tajikistan more than nine years later.
The breeding season is April to August, the nest being a small cup placed in a fork near the end of a branch. Nests are often built in the vicinity of the nest of a black drongo. Two or three white eggs with reddish, brown and black speckling form the typical clutch. Both parents take part in nest and brood care, defending the nest against intruding birds such as shikras and crows.
A protozoal blood parasite, Haemoproteus orioli, described from this species has been suggested to occur in many oriole species but may represent different lineages.